On Food, Health, and Life

Posts Tagged ‘Wine’

Hi! Is anyone watching the Golden Globes right now? I actually like watching the red carpet special more than the actual show- I love seeing what everyone is wearing!

(rewind to Saturday)

We started the day by walking into town for some coffee. I got a cafe au lait with nonfat milk.

I felt compelled to take a picture of the Dr Wilkinson’s Hot Springs Resort sign. It always cracks me up- we stayed here and got mud baths two years ago, if you can believe it. The place is so ridiculous (a total throw-back) and I have to say that a mud bath is worth trying… once.

Then, we went back to our inn for breakfast. Rick, one of the innkeepers, is a trained chef and is known for his 3-course breakfasts.

I got a brown butter ganache and a peanut croquant. Surprisingly, I haven’t tried either one yet…

We grabbed some sushi to share (it was gone so fast that I didn’t even get a picture) from Sunshine Foods since we had to get to an appointment at Beringer.

I normally prefer open tasting rooms to set appointments, but our innkeeper recommended this tour so we went with it.

We had an awesome guide named Dean, who spent 2 1/2 hours teaching us how to pair wines. I can’t say that I’ve ever taken interest in pairing before, but learning what foods & wines work together was really interesting.

For example, cabernet sauvignon goes well with salty + citrusy foods, but not with sweet foods. He used salt, lemon and red apple to prove this.

Look at the scene by the time we were finished!

We stopped at the original Oakville Grocery in Oakville. Does this sound familiar? We went to the store in Healdsburg the other day. 🙂

I was so excited, only to find out that they had just closed. 😦

By the time we got to Yountville, we were tired and in the mood for an unplanned night. Who knew that eating good food could be so exhausting?

So, I cancelled our reservation at Ad Hoc (I love Thomas Keller, but the thought of a 4-course meal wasn’t appealing at that point!) and we went to Hurley’s instead.

I had the rosemary & maple roasted chicken, with lemon preserve, carmelized pearl onions, broccoli rabe, and macaroni & cheese with bacon. I prefer boneless chicken, but this hit the spot.

Tonight is our last night here before we fly home tomorrow! Do you have tomorrow off from work? I love holiday weekends, but I often think that I don’t appreciate the meaning behind the days off. Do you know what I mean?

So last I wrote, we were on our way to Cyrus for a drink. It was a great place for a pre-dinner drink because it was just a block or two from our hotel.

Sure enough, I got the Meyer Beautiful! The egg white foam on top of the drink was so unique… in a good way.

After that, we headed back to the plaza for our reservation at Scopa. We had a hard time finding the restaurant because there was no sign anywhere and the restaurant was really small. Luckily, the address popped into my head and we found our way.

We ordered the lupini beans (which reminded me of edamame) and the polenta special to start.

I really wish that I had a better camera, if only so that you guys could see how delicious this polenta looked. It was bubbling and sizzling when it arrived in its scorching hot cast iron skillet. To the point where the leftover cheese got that good, crunchy texture to it. OMG, you guys. The cheese! The cremini mushrooms! After my first bite, I forgave Tobey for over-ordering. 🙂

We shared the pizza special, which had leeks, ricotta insalata,marinara and homeade sausage on it.

This morning, we went to the gym and then I walked over to Flying Goat for coffee.

I needed coffee after last night – random tangent here – somehow we got a room next to a bar that had Thursday night karaoke. This was annoying because our hotel was definitely nowhere near being full and they had to know that the bar next door has Thursday night karaoke. It was funny at first, but not when I was trying to fall asleep! Frustrating, right?

Anyway, there was a long line for coffee and somehow I ended up talking to a girl about blogs that we read. Fast friends in a coffee shop line? I love it.

I got a soy cafe au lait (coffee and steamed soymilk).

Tobey and I met back up at the karaoke barhotel for breakfast. I always look forward to their housemade granola- it has almonds, pecans, walnuts, peanuts, coconut and brown sugar in it. I don’t know what else is in it, but it’s so addicting.

Relaxing after breakfast…

Tobey, at his fancy winery- this picture cracks me up because he looks so serious.

We headed over the mountain and now we’re in Napa Valley… we’re staying in Calistoga for the night before we head over to Yountville. Calistoga reminds of an old Western walking town… it doesn’t seem like much changes here, which totally adds to the charm.

I learned that Calistoga became a popular vacation spot in 1850, after people realized that they had access to stock ticker tape and telegraph service. It seems like people gravitate towards places with hot springs, which tells me that people have always been somewhat interested in healing methods. 🙂

After our little history lesson, we checked into the Chanric Inn. The innkeeper, Ric, was very welcoming & hospitable. Places like this make me love bed & breakfasts.

I am so looking forward to the 3 course breakfast tomorrow morning after seeing this…

Do you prefer staying in hotels or bed & breakfasts?

I like a mix of both… sometimes, I like the predictability of hotels, and other times, I like the unpredictability of bed & breakfasts.

The weather today… to die for! It has been unseasonably (and unreasonably?) cold in the Southeast lately, so California is proving to be the perfect escape from the cold weather. It was a gorgeous day today, so we walked around town after breakfast…

I have been oohing and ahhing over the clouds today (dork!), so of course I took some pictures to show you guys.

A cute little theatre…

Interesting architecture…

And a spontaneous wine tasting in the Kendall Jackson Tasting Room! We met a couple yesterday that was raving about their visit to Kendall Jackson, so I had their wines on my mind.

Honestly, my expectations were low because I’ve always thought that their wines are so widely distributed that the quality can’t possibly be good, but boy was I wrong!

Sauvignon blancs are always my favorite.

Next, we walked to the Oakville Grocery for lunch. Total foodie stop- it’s like a small, gourmet market that reminds me of Dean & Deluca.

The dutch crunch roll totally made this sandwich… a little less dijonaise and this sandwich would have been perfect.

We split (and when I say split, I mean that Tobey got a bite) the dark chocolate sea salt grahams. Is it weird that I think of certain bloggers at random times during the day? Because this totally had Angie’s name written all over it! 🙂

After lunch, we headed out to do some more wine tasting. First stop? Rochioli, where we met a family from Georgia.

They have so much land, so it was neat to look at a map and be able to see where each wine came from.

Christie, this one is for you… introducing Sweetpea, the vineyard’s cat! So pretty.

Last stop of the day was at J Winery. We had a fun pourer named Ron… he was definitely not short on stories to tell! 😉

We’re resting up before we head over to Cyrus for a drink, and then Scopa for dinner.

We walked by Cyrus this morning, so I already have my eye on one of their cocktails- the Meyer Beautiful. It’s made with meyer lemon vodka, meyer lemon juice, elderflower syrup, egg white foam and meyer lemon zest, with a black lava salt rim. Got all of that? 😉

I grabbed a tall soy misto (really hot drink while walking to the gate= not the brightest idea), an unpictured blueberry scone, and an US Weekly to get me through the flight. I only buy US Weekly when I fly, and I think that Tiger Woods has been on the cover every time for the last two months! Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego Tiger?

I watched The September Issue, which I’ve been wanting to see since, well, September. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at Vogue and Anna Wintour, and while it was good, it was pretty predictable. I’m not convinced that Anna Wintour is “as nice” in real life as she appeared in the movie.

We got into our rental car, but not long after, we stopped for the gorgeous views…

Healdsburg is in Sonoma County, which is ~70 miles from San Francisco. Not a bad drive at all!

We had lunch at Cafe Gratitude, which is right off of the town square.

It’s a really neat place- every dish had a positive affirmation associated with it, and the food was as fresh as can be.

I got the ‘I Am Worthy’ juice- kale, beet, celery, apple and ginger.

8 oz of goodness:

Tobey ordered the turnip soup to start… I had a few bites and it was creamy and full of flavor.

I had a 1/2 order of the ‘I Am Graceful’ bowl…

Oh, so good. This was so fresh & tasty that I definitely had a “I’m full, but I can’t stop eating this because it’s so good” moment.

Next up? Wine tasting at Ridge. Interestingly enough, we had the same pourer as last year!

I put Michel Schlumberger on our list after reading about it on Jenna’s blog. We had a really friendly pourer named Francesco and had so much fun talking to him that we stayed for probably an hour and a half.

I can never get over how genuine and friendly everyone is here- I love just sitting around, drinking wine, and talking to all different types of people.

We have a reservation at Zin tonight, so I’ll pretend that you guys care and let you know how it is. 🙂

Hey guys! How is your week going so far? I definitely just had to remind myself that it’s Wednesday already!

Last night, Tobey and I met up with our friends at Rosebud. I’ve been wanting to try Rosebud (it used to be Food 101) since Caitlin always says such good things about it, so it was the perfect spot to meet Jeff & Caitlin for dinner.

Do you guys keep a list of restaurants that you want to try? I love Zagat; I make a list of where I want to try and highlight the places that I’ve been to! Total dork.

I started with a glass of Maryhill pinot gris… it was good!

I’m a huge sucker for shrimp & grits (andouille sausage, sweet onion, san marzano tomatoes & local grits)…I’ve lived here for over 2 years now, but my eyes still light up when I see it on a menu!

Have you ever had shrimp and grits? I realize that it’s totally a Southern thing- I lived in PA for 23 years of my life and I don’t think that I ever saw it on a menu!

It was good (not as creamy as it sometimes is), but I LOVED the duck risotto (roasted mushrooms, dried apricots & fresh sage) that Tobey ordered.

Sorry for the blurry pictures- I still haven’t figured out how to take pictures in dimly lit places!

Does Friday the 13th freak anyone else out? It’s like I’m just waiting for something weird to happen… oh, and I even get nervous when I’m driving! I realize that it’s not rational to think something bad is going to happen because of the day/date, but I’m pretty superstitious. 😉

I met Elizabeth and Lauren at Rio Grande after work… I figured that I may as well enjoy tonight since I plan on studying for the rest of the weekend! I like Rio Grande because it’s more laid-back than most places in Buckhead. Don’t get me wrong, I love Buckhead, but it can be a little over the top sometimes.

By the time I got there, the pitcher was just about gone… hmm.

Elizabeth, Lauren, Me:

I had a margarita to-go (no, I wasn’t driving)…

We went to Kevin’s office (Lauren’s fiance) to hang out. How cool is it that they all like each other enough to hang out on a Friday night?

Next, Elizabeth and I went down the street for a repeat visit to Bistro Niko. It was much more exciting during happy hour than it was during dinner! There was a much older, more sophisticated crowd there tonight…

I had a glass of Just sauvignon blanc, just like last time!

There was a couple sitting at the table behind the glasses – awkward set-up – and the girl actually got mad that I was taking a picture! No, I don’t want a picture of your boyfriend… it’s for the love of the blog! lol

I just had some leftovers from last night (spaghetti squash, marinara sauce, turkey meatballs) and now I’m ready for a good night’s sleep!